Daily painting practice - Plein air practice day 6 - Bend at Boyer Chute

And so the year of Plein air painting begins(again). Here I am at Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge. It's about 15 miles north of Omaha. One nice thing about painting here is that there are about 3,350 acres to walk and paint without seeing more than 3 or 4 people. It's like having the entire wildlife refuge as my own backyard.
I did a 5"'x7" color study. This is really just a color note that allows me to catch and remember what I want or find interesting. In this case it's the angle of light and shadow in the trees that caught my eye.
The color sketch is a little dramatic but it does capture my idea for the painting. You can see the remains of the dark orange under painting on the panel I started with.
Back at the studio I use the plein air sketch and photos as my reference to develop a finished piece.

click on the picture to enlarge the image

Bend at Boyer Chute
9"x12"
oil on masonite

As I get better and more confident in Plein air painting I am hoping to have the paintings completely (or maybe 90 percent) completed in the field. I am not a purist in any method of painting. I learn as I go and hopefully I also have fun doing it. To me daily painting is about the joy of discovery and the process of gaining experience through experimentation and of course the highlight is having the chance to share the results.